The Army National Guard Health Promotion Program (NGR 600-63, Chapter 2)

9. Spiritual Fitness

A spiritually fit person recognizes there are multiple dimensions that make up the human being. He or she seeks to develop the total person concept. This includes enhancing spiritual fitness through reflection and practice of a lifestyle based on personal qualities needed to sustain a person in times of stress, hardship and tragedy. When a person's actions are different from his or her stated values, the person lives with inner conflict. This person struggles for integrity and congruity, but cannot find inner peace until this struggle is dealt with. The extent to which this is accomplished is a measure of spiritual fitness.

a. Commanders at all levels will encourage and provide for human self-development activities leading to increased spiritual fitness in accordance with this regulation, AR 600-20, AR 165-20, AR 165-1 and other applicable directives.

b. Army leaders should develop an awareness of the lifestyles, cultural backgrounds, stages of development, possible relationships to religious beliefs, and needs of soldiers, ARNG civilians and family members. The State Health Promotion Council will recommend, coordinate and ensure the integration of spiritual fitness programs for units, soldiers, family members and ARNG civilians in their area of responsibility.

c. Commanders at the unit level will develop soldier and family support activities to strengthen, reinforce and implement the enhancement of spiritual fitness. They will ensure the scheduling of time for activities, programs and training to accomplish the goals of spiritual fitness, as well as recommending and conducting spiritual fitness programs.

d. In providing for self-development activities, commanders and other leaders must ensure advocacy of a religion does not occur. The practice of religion, to the extent it relates to spiritual fitness, must be left to the sole discretion of each person. Each person must be free to worship or not as he or she may choose without fear of being disciplined or stigmatized by his or her choice. (See AR 165-20, AR 600-20 and DA Pam 600-75.)

e. All soldiers are expected to live by the tenets of the professional Army ethic and those individual values that support and sustain the ARNG way of life (See FM 100-1). Commanders and supervisors have availablethe State UMT, whose objective is to establish a command program of moral leadership training.